"The Third Man" by Graham Green

     Graham Green wrote the novella “The Third Man” before he wrote the screenplay.

The plot of the novella is quite different from that of the movie. The biggest difference lies at the last scene. In the movie, while Martins stands at the roadside waiting Anna approaching him. Coming close to him, Anna never pays any bit of attention to Matins but just walks away on and on. That makes a memorable scene. However, she behaves differntly in the novel:

   I [Major Calloway] watching him [Martins] striding off on his overgrown legs after the girl [Anna]. He caught her up and they walked side by side. I don’t think he said a word to her: it was like the end of a story except that before they turned out of my sight her hand was through his arm….

   I was quite surprised at the last scene. It was quite opposite. They walked with her hand through his arm. Why did Graham Green change the scene, I wonder.